Originally Posted by bhd87
Im surprised no one has ate at Aragawa, which seems to be an extremly popular steakhouse. I did so more research and have narroed down some of the best Sushi Restaurants: Mizutan, Sushi Dai, Kikuyoshi, Kyubey, and Kozasa Sushi.
For tempura, how are Raku-Tei, Tenichi, and Hayashi?
And finally, Zagat's has rated Obana, and all unagi restaurant, as one of the best in Tokyo.
Thanks so much.
Sorry for the delay in responding. I've had an awful couple of weeks (problems with elderly father - hard drive crash - you get the idea).
My husband and I are from Florida too - we spent about a week in Tokyo in April. Note that my husband spent about a year learning elementary Japanese before our trip.
I am a knowledgeable food traveler - and I couldn't agree more with ksandness about Tokyo. You cannot imagine how many restaurants there are (or how big the city is for that matter). And how many tens of thousands of restaurants are not mentioned anywhere in the English speaking press. And - when they get mentioned - I have to raise my eyebrows. We poked around one day and "found" a tempura place called Ippoh (it was in the Barney's New York building). Had lunch there and it was excellent. And it winds up this month as one of the 50 or 100 "hot places" in T&L Magazine. I had to laugh though - because it was an intense language experience. Only 7 people at lunch - and none of the staff spoke a word of English. We had fun - but some people might not have.
Anyway - we never had a bad meal in Tokyo. High-end - low-end - or in the middle. So - for lesser deal restaurants - I would recommend poking around when you're hungry - without a Zagat guide. Find a place that "feels right". Don't underestimate the value of restaurants with plastic food in the windows. That plastic food can be a lifesaver.
With regard to bigger deal restaurants - like Kozasa (we ate there) - I recommend running your likes/dislikes/ideas by your hotel concierge. Who will do a good job of pairing you with an appropriate restaurant. E.g., Kozasa is not a place where you will feel comfortable unless you speak Japanese (even with my husband's basic Japanese - we invited a Japanese speaking friend to join us so we would enjoy the experience). It is expensive (about $130/pp for lunch - about double that for dinner). It is definitely not a child-friendly place (you said you were traveling with family). And I think you'll have problems making reservations there unless you speak Japanese. Perhaps it would be a good fit for you - but - like I said - I'd run it by the hotel concierge.
Anyway - good luck - and good trip. Robyn